# mac-stickies-mcp

A local MCP server for reading and safely editing Apple Stickies on macOS.

> **Status:** pre-release alpha (`0.2.0a1`). Text tools and recoverable
> create/delete/restore have passed local validation. Layout inspection is an
> early v0.3 read-only capability, not a stable layout API. This build has not
> been published to PyPI.

## Scope

- Runs locally on macOS through MCP stdio.
- Is intended to be installed with `uvx mac-stickies-mcp` once published.
- Does not send note contents to a remote service.
- Does not use the Anthropic Python SDK or call an LLM.

Read the detailed product contract in [docs/spec.md](docs/spec.md).
The reproducible running-App write study is in
[docs/compatibility-study.md](docs/compatibility-study.md).

## Available tools

| Tool | Purpose |
| --- | --- |
| `list_notes` | List note titles, previews, versions, and modification times |
| `get_note` | Read one note and obtain its version |
| `search_notes` | Search current local text without uploading or indexing it |
| `update_note` | Replace text after version check and backup |
| `append_to_note` | Add plain text while retaining the existing RTF body |
| `backup_note` | Save a complete local note package snapshot |
| `undo` | Revert an MCP edit if the note has not changed since |
| `create_note` | Create a new note only after Stickies exposes a new UUID |
| `get_note_layout` | Read exposed position, size, and window state without moving a note |
| `delete_note` | Back up then delete a note with a recovery ID |
| `list_deleted_notes` / `restore_note` | Inspect and recreate a deleted note |

Writes require the `expected_version` returned by `get_note`. With a running,
visible Stickies note that version starts with `ui-sha256:` and the mutation is
performed through Accessibility; Stickies, not this package, owns the later
disk save. A conflict or unsaved human UI edit is reported as a tool error; no
data is overwritten. Every completed write has an `operation_id` that can be
passed to `undo`.

The server keeps backups in
`~/Library/Application Support/mac-stickies-mcp/backups/`. Backups are local
and private to the current user, retained for up to 30 days and 100 per note.
The original Stickies files remain under the user's Stickies container.

### v0.2 visual-state boundary

v0.2 deliberately does **not** set note color, size, position, or rich-text
styles. Stickies Accessibility exposes commands to change some of these values,
but it does not reliably expose a current note color. Those values therefore
cannot yet receive the same before/after backup and undo guarantees as text.
They are deferred to a read-first state compatibility study. `restore_note`
creates a new note with a new UUID; it restores backed-up text, not an
unverifiable visual state.

`create_note` has a strict safety guard: if Stickies does not surface a new
window with a distinct document UUID, it returns an error without writing into
the currently active note. This build still needs a clean-user, manual
compatibility pass across supported macOS releases before publication.

### Known alpha limitations

- `delete_note` is recoverable, but the only verified Stickies deletion route
  brings Stickies and the target note to the foreground. It can interrupt work
  or leave the desktop visible after closing the last focused note.
- `get_note_layout` only reads the position, size, visibility, minimized, and
  full-screen state exposed by the current Accessibility tree. It does not move
  or resize a note; color, floating, collapsed, rich text, multi-display
  placement, and layout commands remain unimplemented.
- Never remove or replace a `.rtfd` package while Stickies is running. The App
  can retain an in-memory copy and later overwrite or conflict with the file.

## Accessibility setup for writes

Reading and searching do not require Accessibility. Editing a note while
Stickies is open does: the server uses macOS Accessibility to update the exact
visible note rather than replacing its RTF file behind the app's back.

After installation, run this once in the same environment that will launch the
MCP server:

```zsh
mac-stickies-mcp doctor
```

It requests the macOS consent prompt and prints the executable that macOS must
trust. In **System Settings → Privacy & Security → Accessibility**, enable that
reported executable. If an update changes the executable identity, run `doctor`
again and repeat the one-time approval. A missing grant causes a safe
`accessibility_required` error; no note is changed.

## Install and connect

The package is not published yet. After its PyPI release, install it as a
user-level tool rather than a one-off `uvx` invocation so the Accessibility
client has a stable local installation:

```zsh
uv tool install mac-stickies-mcp
mac-stickies-mcp doctor
```

Then add it to a local Codex client:

```zsh
codex mcp add mac-stickies -- mac-stickies-mcp
codex mcp list
```

The equivalent `~/.codex/config.toml` entry is:

```toml
[mcp_servers.mac-stickies]
command = "mac-stickies-mcp"
default_tools_approval_mode = "writes"
```

`writes` keeps read tools convenient while asking before mutation tools. In the
ChatGPT desktop app, the same shared configuration can also be added from
**Settings → MCP servers → Add server**, selecting **STDIO** and entering
`mac-stickies-mcp` as the command.

## Uninstall and local data

```zsh
uv tool uninstall mac-stickies-mcp
```

Uninstalling the tool does not touch Apple Stickies or its backups. To remove
MCP-only recovery data, first inspect
`~/Library/Application Support/mac-stickies-mcp/backups/`, then move the
`mac-stickies-mcp` folder to Trash manually if it is no longer needed. Remove
the corresponding Accessibility entry in **System Settings → Privacy &
Security → Accessibility** if you no longer want the executable to control
Stickies.

## Development

```zsh
uv sync --all-groups
uv run python -m unittest discover -s tests -v
uv run ruff check .
uv run ruff format --check .
```

For a local development connection, use the project's installed CLI at
`.venv/bin/mac-stickies-mcp` as the MCP stdio command. The eventual PyPI
installation command will be `uvx mac-stickies-mcp`.

The prototype exporter lives at `scripts/export_stickies.py`. It reads local
Stickies and writes a Markdown snapshot under `work/`, which is ignored by Git.

## Project layout

```text
src/mac_stickies_mcp/  Package source
tests/                 Automated tests and non-private fixtures
scripts/               Development-only helper scripts
docs/                  Design and user-facing technical documentation
work/                  Local generated files; never committed
```

## License

[MIT](LICENSE)